Heating unit



Defzs; 1194i.

J. E. MARTIN HEATINGUNIT 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed April 25, 193%:

INVENTOR v JESSE E. uMARTIN l ffMA/ w/M ATTORNEYS Dec. 23, 1941. l J. E. MARTIN 2,267,531 HEATING UNIT Filed April 25,1938 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR JESSE Ef MARTIN BY l ATIORNE S cent the exterior casing of the heate provide in a unit heater attachment provided withv to the interior ofthe llame.

` ent as' the description Patented Dec. 23, *1941" UNITED STATES PAT'E'JWI' OFFICE ,I 2,267,531 n HEATING UNIT fJesse Elmer Martin, Tampa, Fia. i l Application Api-n 2 5', 193s, serial No. 204,1@9 .13 claims.' (ci. 12s-93) This invention relates to an improvement in unit heaters and particularly .to unit heatersem- .playing an oil or kerosene burner, although it is 'contemplated that the novel arrangement disf closed herein may be' employed withother types of heaters, such for examplev as a solid fuel burner. It is an object of the invention to provide in a unit heater having' a casing an internal heat distributing member adapted to conine the hot 10 products of` combustion to a path closely' adja- It is'a further object of the invention to a flame spreading' forationsforfthe purpose of supplying air for complete combustion.

"It' is am further object of the invention to Vprovide in aV unit heater-a preheating air supply It isla further object of the invention to provide an attachment for unit heaters which coma plurality ot per- 41li' ing'an upwardly opening vaperture i3. The feet Il at their upper portionsare provided with fiat inwardly extending .shoulders Il ior the purpose of supporting `a chamber i5. 'In the event that the heating unit isv to employ an oil orkerosene burner such .as illustra/ted at I6. the cham` beii5 is provided with an inwardly extending radial ange I1 dening a central opening i8. The burner I6 maybe of any conventional type and for purposes of illustration, may be regarded as a kerosene burner having a wick I9 and -a vertically adjustable ange 'controlling part 20.

Near the'upper portion of the casing I 0 is pro- .vide `an 'aperture 2| for the purpose of permitting egress o! the products of combustion to a stack if desired. On the exterior of the casing is indicated-a short section of pipe '22 for the purpose of connecting the aperture to the stack prises means for concentrating rthe products of" I combustion to a more useful `additional air tothe ame.

It is a further object of the invention to providean improved unit heater having means .to increase the circulation of air and to' simultaneously increase the )air supply in a manner to .render the combustion more eilicient. l

Other objects of the invention will beapparproceeds, and when taken' in conjunction with the accompanying Vdrawings,l wherein v 1 is a side elevation bodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a -view partly in Fig.f3 is a' sectional view of a modified form oi' attachment embodyingA my invention;

Fig. 4- is a side view partly in section showing another embodiment of my invention; 1 J .'Fig.- 5 isa 4side-'view partly in section' showing still another'embodiment of my invention;

Fig is shownin Fis. 5; Fig. 7 is a side regulator.

. J section on the line path: and to supply .0 is provided with an opening 29 for the purpose in a conical portion I2l -24 is my improved combustion 5 The afnd thepipe 22 is shown as secured surrounding the aperture 2| as by means -of anange 23.

L Supported centrally vinthe aperture; I3 asby means of an outwardly extendin radial ilange proving and circulation controlling .distributor member 25,

member '25 comprises essentiallyA a cylindrical portion 26 which terminates at its lower end oi spaced'apertures 2lia The member \in its cylindrical portion 26 of providing admission of air into the interior of -the member 25. Aco'esponding vshaped open.

i ing -30 is provided inregistering relation in the outer wall of the casing of a unit heater em'. 35.

'I0 andthe two openings are'interconnected by a pipe or-cnduit3l which in the embodiment shown'is secured to the er? Il as by ilanges 32. A sui terior of the casing l able'draft'regulator 33v of any convenient type is 4" "provided for the purposegf controlling thepas- 0 sage of air through the conduit 3l.

a bottom plan view of the construction The heating unit illustrated #i and 2 'comprises acasing I 0 which maybe of any con-*5" venient cross section but in .theembodiment shown' is cylindrical. Casing lI0 is provided 'at the llower portion .thereof with a 'plurality of spaced supportingJfeet II/and at 4the top lis provided 4conduit 3| which and locating the same directlyben'eaththeaperimproved resultsare obtained The ccnduitl in the embodiment shown` as a cross section 'which is anisosceles triangle 'with -its vertex directed downwardly'. It will be ,ob-

vious, ofcourse, that 'the shape of this'. conduit- 2l maybevaried at will andmay, if desired,for

convenience be made circular in cross section.

I4 have `found, however, that by employing the is triangular in cross section .ture 2l.' certain' which :will be'xdiscssedmcre fully later;

From the foregoing description the operation pismy improved heater will bev apparent. Com- .b l

tion occurs'at the'wick IQ and ina zone im-H with inwardly directed annular flange "1 2 detin- 55 mediately thereabove. As is a matter of comprovided with a plurality) mon. knowledge, the vwiclr type burners of this type normally fail to accomplish complete and eiilcient combustion. As a result of will be a mixture of flames and hotproducts of combustion. `These flames and hot products of combustion will be deflected outwardly by.the conical portion 21 of the member 25 and caused this, in the` l zone immediately above the burner unit I6 there 'tion which has the eiIect of further increasing' the transfer of heat to the casing I0. f

I have found that by employingrmy member-25 ina heating unit of the type disclosed, the overall emciency of the heating unit is increased by a'remarkable amount. This increase in the overall eillclency of the heating unit is to be extofollow the restricted annular. path included between the casing lil'and the cylindrical portion 26 of member'25. VAs a result of this, there will be increased heat transfer from the products of combustion to the exterior wall I of the.

burner. and a transfer lof heat to the wall of member 25. The products of `combustion eventuall-y are led to a stack through the aperture 2| by means of a conduit 22 if desired. Under certaincircumstances, it may be practicable to combustion due to the supply of air at the points' permit these products of combustion to escape into the room, particularly since .by my improved construction,combustion of the iniiam-l mable materials is substantially complete.

. In orderV to increase combustion, the apertures 28 are provided in the conical portion 21, and the conduit 8| is provided to connectV the interior of member with theatmosphere. l l

. The hot products of combustion being deflected outwardly by the conical portion` 21- and rising in the annular space between casing I8 and member 25, creates a draft which tends to draw air from, the interior ofmember 25 therethrough the apertures 28. This air passes into the hot products of combustion name and incompletely consumed combustionl material at spaced points,v as a rel sult of the spacing of apertures 28. This addi- 'supporting the same upon a Fig. 2. The member 4I plained. by the increased heat transfer due tothe efficiently restricted passage for the hot products of combustion; by the increased efficiency, of

where it is most. eillciently utilized, and by the substantial preheating of the additional air suppls1 before it reaches the flame.A

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated-a slightly modified form of attachment 40 which includes all of the advantages inherent in the member 25 shown in Fig. 2, but is rendered further useful by providing the'same in a telescopicarrangement. Member 40 comprisesan upper section 4I. which vis essenl tures 28 of the member 25shown in Fig. 2. The

tion of air at this point results in/highly eiiicient l 4 and substantially complete combustion. It will be understood of course, that the conical portion 21 of the member 25 becomes highly heated and the .air admitted through the apertures 28 is substantially preheated. This result is further increased by the admission o f air through the conduit 8|, whic lies in the path of the hot products rif-:com stion.' Air will be drawnl through the conduit 3| into the interior of the burner 25 'and uns air win be substantiauy preheated before it reaches the interior ot the burner 25,

which tends to increase the eillciency of the com- 1 bustion. Member 25 may be open at the top. Instead of providing the member 25 with an upwardly opening top; it may be closed at the top, in which case flow of air throughopenlngs 28 is controlled by the conduit 3|, thus giving an accurate control of the amount of' air provided. In'

this latter case, as will be apparent, the supply of airreceived within the member 25 is substan- -tially-heated, with the result that the air intro- `duced' into the combustion zone through the apertures 28 will in a condition to readily support combustin.

As referred to above, I have -found that by placing the conduit 8| directly beneath the outlet 2| to the stack, other important advantages lare obtained. The member 3l, under these circumstances, serves -the additional function of a deflector member and prevents direct passage of hot products of combustion from the combustion zone to the, stack. The shape of the conduit 2|,

'that is; `triangular with a vertex directed downwardly', further increases this effect since it has a tendency to control the direction of the up wardly rising cc'mvexion currents composed of the hot products of combustion. The triangular. shape deilects these products of combustion away from the opening 2| and sets up a swirling ino- M'is a 'suitable conduit size vunit heater or .sage 58 is provided lower portion 45 is further provided with an aperture 25 which is adapted-to be connected by corresponding to the vconduit 8| shown in Fig. 2

Due to the telescopil relationship 4| and 45, the over-allz lengthv of the member 40 may be adjustedv to adapt` the same to different to adjust the same to obtain the most enici nt vresults froml a 'unit heater. The upper portion 4|' is provided with a plurality of vertical slots 48 and threaded adjacent the upper portion of the lower member 45 are a plurality of headed bolts. adapted to be re' ceived within the slots 48. As is obvious, by loosening thebolts 49 the parts-.4I and 45 may be adjusted. and substantially tion of the modiiied form of member 40 is parallel in all respects to the operation of member 25 l shown in Fig. 2,.

In both oi' the embodiments previously described, itis to be understood that while I have illustrated the same for purposes of clearness in connection with a kerosene wick type burner,

that the construction disclosed is'capable of use with other types of burners,v such for example as gas, oil, or solid type fuel such as coal or coke.

I have illustrated in Fig. 4 a slightly diierent embodiment of my invention which is in many respects similar to that shown in Fig. 2 and which will be described with particularity only with reference to the `differences therefrom. In Fig. 4 the casing 50 is provided with a pipe 5| leading to ytheatacl: and is adapted to support near its bottom a chamber 52. The chamber 52, as will.

be noted, is somewhat'smaller than the diameter of the casing 5|l and as a result an annular pas-l between the exterior of 'the chamber 52 and the interior of the casing 50. The casing 50 is open at the bottom and restv supon spaced projections 53' so that air may pass upto be received within'x the cylindrical for \the purpose of leading air into the interior of the member 40.

'of the partsV clamped in adjusted position by tightening the bolts 49. The operawardly through the annular passage lt. A ring M is 'provided atthe upper portion of the annular passage -53 and c loses the same. The ring Il f may be carried by the interior of vthe casing I or may be carried by the exterior of the cham- Y ber 52, or if desired, may be a separate element resting upon the top of the chamber 52. lThe chamber 52 is provided at its top with an inwardly extending radial ilange 52 which deflnes a central upwardly opening aperture.

In order tc provide for a desirable circulation of air into the chamber 52, a plurality of aper-` tures l! are', provided adjacent the top of the chamber l2 and interconnect the annular passage 5l withthe interiorof. the chamber.l The chamber B2 is adapted to support a heating'unit whichmay be a conventional wick type oil or kerosene burner, a gas burner or av solid fuel burner. l

i This unit is provided with the distributor member 58 which is substantially identical with the distributor member-.25 illustrated in Fig. 2, being .providedwith a substantially cylindrical portion` 511 and a conical portion 58, having a plurality oi apertures 59. therein. 4A conduit t0. herein is illustrated as triangular but may take any desirable shape, and is employed to interconnect the interior off member with atmosphere outside the'casing 50. A suitable control means in the form of a damper or valve will be provided to control the passage of air through conduit 60. In this embodiment of my invention as in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, the .member 58 may be open atthe top, or if desired may be closed, so that the air` supplied through apertures 59 may be accurately Vcontrolled by a damper controlling the conduit.

A somewhat diil'erent embodiment of my invention isillustrated in Figs. 5 end 6, in which a casing 'It is provided which is open at its'top and bottom and in the embodiment shown is cylindrlcal. Adjacent the bottom portion of the casing Il is a support 1|,fhaving feet 'H' provided with aigiat supporting surface 12., Surface 'I2 has a'. central opening 'Il as best seen in Fig.

8, and a plurality of spaced circumferentially extending'apertures 15.l 'Ihe base plate J2 is adapted to support thereon a'tlre pot 16, which has an'imperforate annular bottom 1 1, exterior cylindrical wall'lt and an interior cylindrical'wall 'Il defining acentral passage l0 through the ilre pot. The interior wall or conduit 19 extends substantially above the vupper edge of the exterior wall 1I. 'Ihe exterior wall 1811s .ofcl a -di- 4 ameter to vprovide a substantial 'annular 'space Il between the same and the interior oi' the wall of the casing 10. A plurality of apertures 82 are provided completely around and from the top to a point adjacent the bottom of the wall 18.

The interifwallvof the casing 'It is provided with an inwardly extending annular iiange 8l, iupon which is supported an annular. 'plate Il having a rcentral aperture 'Il surrounding and relatively widely spaced from the conduit 1t.

It willbe obvious that in the operationA of the device air will be drawn upwardly through apertures 'Il to pass into the annular passage 8| through the apertures!! into the interior of the 'fire pot and the products o1' combustion will then rise through the annular'passage defined -by the aperture Il as restricted by conduit 1l.

'Ihe casing 'Ilia provided adiacent its top with a pine It which carries the products of cnm.

bustion \to the stack. The casinglll is fu her. 4provided at its top with an inwardly exten g ber ll is provided whichcompris essentially a' cylindrical portion 9|. At the top of thecylindrical portion 9| the member 90 carries an out'- lwardly projecting radial flange 9i adapted'to `rest upon the inwardly directed ilangejV 8.1 and to supportthe member 90. In this modification,

the member 9|. is 'open at its top as indicated at 94 for a purpose which will be more fully described later. f

`The conicalpo'rtibn 92 of the member SILis provided with a plurality ofperforations for supplying air to the products of combustion in the combustion zone. In this modification as in the others previously described, the conical porl tion `serves todeflect the hot products of c ,om-

bustion into therelatively narrow passage provided between casing 10 and'\the cylindrical portion 9i of member 90. This, as 'will be obvious.

increases the transfer of\heat from the hot products oi' combustion to the exterior of the casing.

In the preceding paragraph the annular passage provided between the casing 1U and the cylindrical portion 9| of the 'member 90 was :re-- ferred to as relatively narrow. This refers to the width of the annular passage-as measured between a point on the wallet/ the casing 'l0 to the nearest point on the :wall of the cylindrical portion 9|, and this width .is narrow as compared .tcythe width hf the cylindrical pcrtibn 9|. By making this annular passage relatively narrow, the hot products of combustion .are spread out in a relatively thinlayer, so that heat .transfer outwardly through thewall of the casing '110. to the, space and inwardly through the vcylindrical portion li tothe air contained therev 'in is substantially increased. .At the same time. a measurable restricti to. iiow of the hot-products of combustion is sage. proportions illustrated in the figures (Figures 2 and 4, 'as wen as -Figiu-e 5) need not lhe fcllowed, and improved results will lbe obtained even though the .annular passage referred to is con# siderably wider. However, it is desirable in all cases to provide the central tubularv portion 9| of the member n of very substantial width, so as to provide a substantial area fortransfer of heat from the annular passage to the interior of the cylindrical portion 9|.- It-is this transfer of heat and the resultant heating of the air con- 55 tained .within the cyundncaI-pcrnnn 9| which causes convection therein in a manner to cause the heated air to pass upwardly. through the l open end thereof into the space beiner heated.

The iire pot Il is supported by the plate J2 so that the e M dennedby'the central or interior conduit 1 9 registers with the central aperture 1l inthe plate 1I. As a resultof this,

air will be drawn by convection through the passage Bl. In this modification the conicalm'ember l! diers from those previously described in that it terminates at its lower -end in an aperl ture SI.- Air drawn upwardly through passage Il lente'rsizhrouizhthe aperture into the coni- .cal portieri` of vthe -member 90 and some of. this l air is drawn outwardly-by the natural drafts created through apertures l! and supplied to, 4the combustible material in the combustion zone. This air it will'be noted is .substantially preheatedby its passage through the` conduit 'It 'andis additionally preheated by its .Passage through t? fforded by reason of the aforesaid 'relative narrowness of the annular pas- It will -be appreciated that thel precise l holes in the casing and to clamp the In this'modication the air supplied through the passage 80 and into the interior of the mein-l ber 90 is more than is required to supply combustion air through the-aperture 95. A substantial amount of air will continue upwardly through the cylindrical portion 9| where it 'will be substantially heated and will pass into the space being heated througlr the top openings 94 previj ously referred to.

I In Fig. 7 I have illustrated an air. supply. control means which corresponds to that shown at 32, 33, in Fig. 2. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, however, provision is made for vertical adjustment of the air control member, in order to cooperate with an adjustable unit, such as dis- `closed in. Fig. 3. For this purpose, a vertically elongated aperture 1I is provided in the outer casing of the heater unit. A correspondingly curved 4plate 12 is secured over the aperture 1i and vertical adjustment* of the plate 12 is provided.` For this purpose elongated tabs 12 project upwardly and downwardly from the plate 12 and the tabs are provided with vertically elongated slots 14. Suitable securing means such for example as clamping bolts 15, are provided, and these are adapted to be threaded into tapped l plate 12 in vertically adjusted position.` y

The plate 12 is provided with a generally-triangularaperture 16 which in all positions of adl justment is adapted to register with a portion ofthe .aperture 1I previously referred to. The' plate 12 is also provided with ilanges 11 which are bent to provide a slideway for the slidable draft controlled member 18.' The draft control ,member 18 'is provided with triangular aperture 19 and with a`button`18' for'I the purpose of moving themember 18 horizontally in the rarcuate slides defined by the anges 11. It will be apparent 4that in the positionY shown the airI supply to the interior of the unit is' prevented,

since the aperture 19 is out of registry with the 45 conduit connecting the aperture 16 with the intenor ofthe unit.

It will be understood that except for the provision for vertical adjustment illustrated in Fig.

7, the Aair supply control parts illustrated ,in Figs. 1 and 2 may be and preferably -are identical with that shown in Fig. 7.

Essentially, 'fthe modiiications described all show a combustion and circulation controlling member which is adapted to direct the hot prod-` ucts of combustion into restricted passages where they' will be in intimate contact with the heating ,surfaces 'of the heating unit. `In' addition, all

of the embodiments disclosed show 'means for introducing air into the combustion zone atthe point where the additional combustiony air may be most efficiently utilized. VThis air it-should he noted in all cases is supplied in efiectat the interior of the flame othersources supplying air to the `exterior of the iiame. This air which is supplied to the interior of the flame at the point where it may be mos't efliciently utilized *isy in all cases substantially. preheated with the rresult that cthe emciencyv of combustion? issubstantially increased. While in certain modifications for convenience I have illustrated a pafticular embodiment of-my invention in combinationwith la.particular burner, as for example a t wick type'burner infFig. 2; itis to be distinctly understood thatmy invention isnot to bel re-4 given for clearness of understanding only, and

no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be gonstrued as broadly as permissible in view of 1o the prior art.

What I claim as my invention is: 1f. A heater comprising a casing, a burner at the base of `said casing, a vertical conduit extending through said burner and casing, and l definingv an annular passage with the walls of saidv casing, said casing and-conduit both 'being of substantial diameter, so that said annular passage -is narrow as compared to the width ofsaid conduit, said conduit being perforated in 20 the combustion zone, whereby air circulating upward through said conduit is "in part emitted through the`perforations into the zone of comoutwardly tapered and perforated in the combustion zone.' wherebyair circulating upward through 'said conduit is in part omitted through lthe perforations into the zone of combustion, and in part is discharged in heated condition from the upper endrof said conduit.V

' 3. A heater comprising a casing. a burner at the base of said casing, a vertical conduit exftending through said burner and casing, and deiining a narrow annular passage with the walls 40'oi said casing, said conduit being perforatedin the combustion zone, 'whereby air circulating y upward through said conduit is in part emitted through the perforations into th zone of -combustion, and in part is discharged in heated said narrow annular passage having a vent for emitting the products vof combustion.

4.v A heater comprising a casing having a lower combustion space, an air supply member located centrally in said space and having the form of a hollow inverted, closelv perforated cone, a tubular heat exchange element above said-combusf :tion space-open at the top and defining a central air heating space communicating with the inte'rior of said `air supply member. said tubular member being of substantial height to establish a l positive draft through said combustion spacofa conduit connecting the bottom of said air supply member, whereby air is drawn .into'said air sup- 50 ply member by convection, a portion of such air l l is drawn through the perforations in said air supply member outwardly into the combustion space, l

s. vand the balance of said air rises by convection through said heat exchange element into 'the y'space to be heated.

5. The heater as denned in daim 4, m which l said conduit extends downwardly from said air supply member and opens to atmosphere at the bottom of said casing. 1 z 6. A heater comprising a casing having a lower combustionspace, an air `supply member located lcentrally in said space and having the form oi ahollow inverted, closely perforated cone, a tubular heatexchange element above said combustion' space open at the top and deiining a central air bustion, and in partis discharged in heated condition from the upper end 'of said conduit.'

heating space communicating with the interior vof.' said air supply member, said tubular member being' of substantial height to establish a positive draft through said combustion space,l an annular flre'pot in the, bottombf said casing providing a conduit/connecting to atmosphere therethrough,

said air supply member being open at its bottom and communicating with -said conduit.

l v7. A heater comprising a casing having a lower combustionvspace, an air supply member located lcentrally in said space and having the form of a hollow inverted, closely perforated cone, a tubular heat exchange element above said combustion atmosphere at a point substantially below the open top thereof.

11. A casing having a lower combustion space therein, a tubular member in said casing extending from the `tcp thereof to a point within said combustionv space, said member being of substanspace open at ,the top and defining a central air heating space communicating with the interior of said air supply member,.said tubular member being ofsubstantial height to establish a positive draft through said combustion space, an annular 'fire potvin the bottom of said casing spaced inwardly from'the sides of said casing and being ,apertured for admission of air, and providing a conduit connecting to atmosphere therethrough,

said air supply member being open at its bottom andcommunicating with said conduit.

8. As `an article of manufacture, a unit for -insertion into a heater casing, said unit comprising an open topped hollow cylindrical portion adapted-to be suspended from the top of a` heater casing and to open to atmosphere at its top, and a lowermost conically tapered portion communieating with said cylindrical portion. said tapered' portion being perforated, said unit being apertured below the open top of said cylindrical porrow as `compared to the width of said member,

said member being open to atmosphere at its top, said member being provided with apertures adjacent its lower end to providefor passage of air outwardly therefrom into` the combustion space,

said member being connected to atmosphere at a point 'substantially below the open top thereof.

` 10. A casing having a lower combustion space therein, a hollowvmember in said casing extending from the top thereof-to a point within said combustion space,said member being of substantial size to define with said casing a relatively restricted, annular passage for products of combustion, said member .being open to atmosphere 'at its top, said member being provided with apertures adjacent its lower end to provide for passage of air outwardly therefrom in'to .thecombustion space, said member being connected to tial size to define with said casing anannular passage for products of combustion which is narrow as compared to" the width of said member, said member being open to atmosphere at its top, said member .being provided with apertures adjacent its lower end to provide for passage of air outwardly therefrom into the combustion space,

vand a conduit connected directly to the lower portion of said member andopening to atmosphere. V

l2. A heater .comprising a casing vhaving va. lower combustion space,` a distributor member located centrallyin said space and having a tubular upper portion defining with said casing an annular passage for products of combustion, said tubulai` upper portion being open at its top to provide for escape of warmed air, said distributor member having a lower portion located in the combustion space and provided with apertures therethrough, air supply meansconnecting said distributor member to atmosphere at a point substantially below the open top of said distributor member, said annular passagebeing of substan- 'tial height and .the parts being constructed and arranged whereby air admitted through said air supply means'in part is drawn into said combustion space through said apertures and in part flows upwardly by convection Yand is discharged through the open top of said tubular portion of said distributor member.

13. A heating unit comprising a casing having a lower combustion space therein, a hollow meiri-l .ber in said casing having a tubular upper portion of relatively large size defining with said casing l an annular passagefor products of combustion,

said member having a lower portion located in said combustion space, said lower portion being downwardly and inwardly tapered and provided with a plurality of apertures, the tubular upper Lportion of said member being open to atmosphere at its top, an vair inlet conduit communicating with the interior of said Amember substantially` below the open top thereof, said casing having ay nue connection adjacent the top thereof, the parts being constructed and arranged such that air flowing` into said member through said conduit divides and some of said air enters said combustion space through said apertures, and the rest of said air flows upwardly through the tubular upper portion of said member, where itis heated, and is discharged through the open top thereof. JESSE ELMER MARTIN. 

